Her Name Was Erika
by Silver Quil
Summary: After dying in a Concentration camp, Erika figured she'd finally get some peace, right? Wrong. Some guy who calls himself 'God' gave her a mission...That she doesn't remember. Wonderful. Post Conqueror of Shamballa, Ed and Al came back to Amestris. It's Tragedy for a reason.
1. Beginning

**This story will deal with some elements of The Shoah (The Holocaust, but I will refer to it as "The Shoah.") so be aware of mentionings and possible descriptions of: Death, severe injuries, beatings, concentration camps, war, etc.**

**Thank you for clicking on this story, but if you're going to read it please review and tell me what you think. Guest reviews are turned on, so you may review if you are a guest.**

**Beta: I am the HERO AMERICA**

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is property of Hiromu Arakawa, and it will **_**never ever **_**belong to me.**

_**Italics: German**_

**Normal: Amestrian**

**Bold / Italic: German thoughts or flashback**

**Bold / Normal: Amestrian thoughts or flashback**

_Put simply: reality can be a lie._

_- 'The Girl Who Was On Fire: Panem Et Circenses' Carrie Ryan_

"**Her mind is in tatters after whatever happened to her, and she won't tell us anything other than she was in Auschwitz. Are you sure you want to see her Mr. Mustang?"**

"**Yes, I'm sure Miss…"**

"**Laurier. Hers is room sixteen, down the hall on the left"**

"_It hurts…" _The girl spoke in some strange language, mumbling in her sleep while Mustang watched the patient that supposedly had her mind in tatters.

She was emaciated, ribs sticking out beneath pale skin, and her short hair was ragged. A soldier had found her two days ago in an alley, lips blue and only a thin dress covering her body. Her pulse had been faint, almost undetectable, after she had suffered a head injury. Her pulse still stayed that way.

For reasons unknown to others, the Elric brothers had decided to watch over her, and pay for her medical bills. When the newly promoted General, Edward Elric, was asked why he bothered to take care of her, he always gave the same cryptic answer: "We owe her."

The public may have not known, but Fuhrer Mustang did. Alphonse had told him that while he and his brother were in Auschwitz, a place both refused to talk about, she had given them a loaf of bread as her parents headed to 'The Gas'. Then she had helped them in whatever way she could. They didn't tell him about 'The Gas' either, it was just something referred to as 'The Gas'.

And now that girl was here, she had crossed over from the other side of the Gate too. But how could she have done it? But then again, the gate had been acting funny recently. It could have brought her across to Amestris.

"Fuhrer Mustang, General Elric and Doctor Elric would like to see you." Mustang spun around as a Nurse popped her head in the door.

"Send them in."

The door opened with a slam, and the girl twitched in her sleep.

"Quieter! You'll wake her up!" Mustang whispered

"Sorry, but I _need _her to wake up!"

"Brother! Shush!"

But the girl was already wide awake, having jolted and smashed her head against the headboard of the hospital bed. She scooted away from both of them and hugged her knees to her chest.

"_Who you?"_

"What is she saying? Please translate, seeing as you know the language." The General ignored him.

"_I'm General Edward Elric, and this is Fuhrer Mustang." _Edward smiled gently at the small teenager. Roy noticed the girl stiffened and slouched away even further as she heard the familiar word 'Fuhrer' spoken.

"_Fuhrer? Does that mean Hitler has been killed?" _Ed's smile faded at what the girl had said.

Alphonse took over,_"We'll talk about that later, do you remember your name?"_

"_Number A1563490"_

"_Your real name, not your number."_

"_Oh… Erika Kauffman."_

"_Good, can you remember me?"_

"_I gave you… bread… in Auschwitz?"_

"_Yes, do you remember anything about what happened in Auschwitz?" _The girl shivered and quaked, rocking back and forth.

"_Are you-?"_

"_The Gas chambers, I was in the gas chambers." _She shivered even more.

"_Erika-?"_

"_Gas came out of the showers, not water, gas!" _The girl broke down into sobs, _"And then I was in that white place! Something to do, something to do…"_Her mumbles filled the room, and the more they tried to talk to her, the more she cringed away.

"We should leave, Miss Erika is…" Alphonse looked down.

"Erika? Is that her name?"

"Yeah, it's Erika Kauffman. Can we get going?"

"Yes, let's leave…" Alphonse agreed with his brother and quickly got out of the room, Edward following. Taking one last look at the girl, Roy shook his head.

"_Brother, remember how the gate looked different last time?"_

"_hn? Yes, why?"_

"_She said 'Something to do'; could it be that truth wanted her to do something?"_

"_Maybe, why?"_

"_Perhaps she's the person we're supposed to help to stay here?"_

"_Yeah, I guess. It's reaching the 'one year deadline' so we have to find that person soon."_

"_Mhm."_

TIME SKIP

Thunder boomed and lightning snapped, shaking the supports of a hospital in which a small teenager lay asleep in bed.

"_**Get up you Morons! Get to work!"**_

"_**Faster!"**_

"_**Stand more to the right; they won't pick you if you stand there."**_

"_**Erika, how much bread would a spoon fetch?"**_

"_**See that smoke there? They're not burning clothes, they're burning people."**_

"_**Idiot, perhaps if I beat you it would teach you a lesson?"**_

"_**Hurry up!"**_

"_**Stand for roll call!"**_

"_**Hmm… the last ones to take. You and you."**_

"_**Erika, we're going to die here aren't we?"**_

Under the hospital, a support shifted to the right and a girl woke up drenched in sweat. Her past echoed in her head.

"_**Morons!"**_

"_**Hurry up!"**_

"_**Idiot."**_

"_Please stop." _Her plea wasn't answered.

"_**We're going to die here aren't we?"**_

"_**Stand for roll call!"**_

"_**You and you."**_

"_**Faster!"**_

And she sat awake for the rest of the night, hands over her ears, and the past echoing.

**So that was the first chapter of 'Her Name Was Erika', beta is ****I am the HERO AMERICA, ****An awesome writer. Whether you liked it or hated it, please review. Good criticism always makes a writer happy!**

**In Case You Don't Know**

**Erika is a Shoah victim.**

**Erika is Jewish.**

**People traded spoons and other things for food in concentration camps.**

**People were sent to gas chambers to die, and then their bodies were cremated, less graves that way.**

**(Insert other gruesome things that the writer does not want to touch on, in case she offends someone.)**


	2. A Visit From The Elric Brothers

**Sorry about how long this took. Internet was down. Also, I'm thinking of an update schedule - one chapter every second Sunday. How about it?**

**I had some questions as to why Ed and Al would be in a Concentration Camp with Erika. The Nazi's were trying to create a 'perfect Germany', and Ed would have been technically a cripple through the Nazi's eyes. Both brothers would have opposed the Nazi's, and therefore, would have been put in a Concentration Camp (like Auschwitz) as Political prisoners.**

**(1) Please take note that a Cenz is Amestrian currency.**

**Also, for xBUzzOFF15x's question about how Ed and Al got back to Amestris: This will be answered in the chapter.**

**Thank you for clicking on this story, but if you're going to read it please review and tell me what you think. Guest reviews are turned on, so you may review if you are a guest.**

**Beta: I am the HERO AMERICA**

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is property of Hiromu Arakawa, and it will **_**never ever **_**belong to me.**

_**Italics: German**_

**Normal: Amestrian**

**Bold / Italic: **_**German thoughts or flashback**_

**Bold / Normal: Amestrian thoughts or flashback**

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_Time started: 6:40pm_

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A gentle shake of Erika's shoulder stirred the teenager from her restless 'sleep', if you could even call it that, and she raised bleary eyes to see the nurse who had woken her up.

"Here's your breakfast. Don't eat too fast though, you might get sick." Erika nodded quickly, not understanding a word, and took the tray with her bony hands. The nurse left, leaving a few sheets of paper behind. Erika stared wide eyed at the food. It wasn't much - a meager portion of carrots and meat with one potato - but she looked at it as though it was a million Cenz (**1**). While she was eating it rather quickly , the door creaked open to reveal the Elrics looking slightly surprised at the speed she was eating at.

_"Um, Miss Kaufmann?"_' Miss Kaufmann' looked up, mildly bewildered with a small piece of potato on her chin, to stare at the two boys. She inched back more into the covers.

_"Yes?"_

_"Uh..."_Al stepped behind Ed, _"Ed has something to tell you!" _She quirked an eyebrow and shifted her weight back more, nodding her head.

_"You're not in Poland anymore."_

_"Well I thought that much was obvious, we're in America aren't we?" _Both boys shifted uncomfortably.

_"No, we're in Amestris."_

_"But I've never heard of such a place-!"_

_"Exactly, we aren't even on Earth anymore, we're in another world." _Erika was speechless.

_"It's not nice to play pranks on someone!" _She crossed her arms and pouted, _"especially when it's something that ridiculous- you're obviously lying!"_

_"If I was lying, I wouldn't be able to do this-" _The eldest Elric Brother clapped his hands and slammed them to the floor. When he came up, an iron replica of a crow was placed in her hands. She gasped, a trace of fear in her eyes.

_"What was- nevermind. That doesn't prove anything!"_Al sighed, taking a sheet of paper and drawing on it with an ever-present that resided in his pocket. The drawing showed an intricate door with an eye emblazoned on it's front.

_"Does this gate seem familiar to you in any way." _She blanched.

_"That- That's the gate I went through when..."_

The silence that ensued was suffocating and they struggled to break it- to no avail. Erika seemed to be getting paler and paler, her hands shaking, obviously on the edge of another outburst.

_"We can continue this tomorrow, we'll leave now." _Ed's golden eyes peered nervously at her, judging how she was feeling. Al gave one last concerned glance at her before leaving the room slowly, Ed following closely behind him.

_"Wait!" _The brothers turned back.

_"I am sorry about my...outburst yesterday. I-It was uncalled for."_

Ed nodded gruffly while Al gave a small "_ok"_, And they left, leaving her alone in the tiny hospital room with her food tray.

...

The brothers sat on chairs opposite of each-other in the dimly lit study of an apartment, locked in a heated discussion. Documents lay stacked in neat piles on shelves, courtesy of Al, and a small oak desk was pushed up against the east wall piled high with books that almost blocked the window above it.

"But what if we chose wrong? We'll be sent back to Germany and a bunch of crap will happen to Amestris!" Ed glared at his brother, demanding an explanation.

"The facts all point to it! She comes from Germany, saw the Gate, and she crossed over!"

"But still-"

"Brother!" Al clapped his hands together, "Truth told us someone would pass through, they would have a mission given to them! In return for helping them with it, we would stay in Amestris! The person also had requirements-!" Ed cut him off.

"I know, I know, they would be: German, of the Jewish faith, was in Auschwitz with us...blah, blah, blah. Still! There's always a chance we might be wrong!"

"Ed," Al spoke in a dangerously low tone, "The year deadline to find this person is in a week, she's all we've found. It's either we pick her or go empty handed."

Ed threw his hands up in the air, "Fine, but if we choose wrong..." the unspoken words of '_we'll go back' _hung in the air. Ed tilted his head upwards to look out the window.

"It's late, I'm going to bed." He waltzed out of the room, golden hair streaming out behind him. Al sighed, his brother had been amazingly distrusting ever since Auschwitz. Then again, he had been too, but to a lesser degree than his brother. Maybe his brother was right, about Erika not being the right person. She seemed fragile, ready to snap at any moment, and she certainly didn't seem strong enough to do anything other than eat and rest. Perhaps she wasn't the right person...

But they didn't have anyone else that met the requirements, she was their only option.

But if they chose wrong... hopefully they hadn't. He should ask her some different questions next time he went to visit.

He rubbed his tired eyes with his hands and checked the wrist watch on his arm.

_11:59 pm_

It _was _late. Well, to bed it was. After tripping off his chair and stumbling down the hall, he sunk into bed. Greeted

with a quiet, dreamless sleep.

...

Erika, on the other hand, was wide awake. She paced the room with shaky steps, her ankles wobbling precariously as if they were about to break. That gate Alphonse Elric had mentioned, she had seen it alright, but there were gaps in her memory. Blank spots, if you will, parts that she didn't remember. She remembered her childhood, the gas chamber, her last breath, then a golden outline in the shape of her mother. It was saying...something. That was where the blank spot was, sounds, but she couldn't make them out .

Then being dragged through heavy stone doors, tiny blackened hands grabbing at her arms, legs, and torso pulling her in... doors slamming then... silence? A sensation of being carried, then waking up in that hospital room with the black haired man and the two brothers. Her outburst, and everything from today she remembered. But those blank spots still bothered her, she would have been dead wouldn't she? How was she still here, in a different world perhaps, but still with her body. Undamaged and still breathing, her heart beating, still alive.

It didn't make sense, she needed to remember those things in the blank spots in order for it to make sense. Why didn't she remember, it seemed important, so why should she forget it? Anyway she could, Erika had to remember. She would do _anything_, give anything, to remember. Sighing, she stopped pacing and wandered over to the hospital bed, she crawled under the sheets and prayed for a dreamless sleep, without the nightmares of choking to death and the Nazi's taking her precious Amelia away.

Her wish was granted.

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_Time finished: A long time later_

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**In response to guest: Thank you! your review is appreciated!**

**In response to Ann Falconer: It will lighten up for sure, can't have a story dark all the time!**

**In response to Guest: Thanks!**

**In response to Guest: Yes it is on the front. Ed and Al could get into concentration camps because they would have apposed the Nazi's, therefore they could be held as political prisoners in Auschwitz.**

**In response to Laurier: Another thank you to give, thank you for the support!**

**In response to PoemPWNAGE: Yes the quote is for the whole story, that's why I didn't put one in this chapter.**

**In response to Fluffy Bunnies: Thanks again. See the answer above.**

**In response to SMILEY FACE: Sorry about the long update, updates will be faster in the future.**

**In response to shoesofDEATH: Of course there'll be humor silly! :) Can't make a story too dark. **

**In response to R432: I made this chapter longer, hope you liked it!**

**In response to A person: I made this chapter longer, hope it is to your liking.**

**In response to Clair Aragon: I added more detail to this chapter, I think, and thank you for the review. You're not being too proud, 172 reviews is **_**something **_**to be proud of. I hope you liked the chapter!**

**In response to xBUzzOFF15x: Thank you for the review, and for all the praise as well! I don't think I'm that good of a writer, but thank goodness some of the aspects got through to you (I didn't think I did a good enough job). I will try to execute my OC as best as I can, and again, thanks for the review!**

**Thank you again to I am the HERO AMERICA for betaing this story, it means a lot. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. And I'll try my best to keep with the update schedule. Thanks for reading the chapter, see you again in the next update!**


	3. New Home

**Here you go! As promised! Thank you to everyone that reviewed, followed, or favourited!**

**Thank you for clicking on this story, but if you're going to read it please review and tell me what you think. Guest reviews are turned on, so you may review if you are a guest.**

**Beta: I am the HERO AMERICA**

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is property of Hiromu Arakawa, and it will **_**never ever **_**belong to me.**

_**Italics: German**_

**Normal: Amestrian**

**Bold / Italic: **_**German thoughts or flashback**_

**Bold / Normal: Amestrian thoughts or flashback**

_**A Guide to the German accent:**_

_**'W' and 'Wh' become 'V', only when heard. If a word has two letters, or will becomes a word with two letters, the 'V' is doubled.**_

_**'Th' will be either a 'Z' or 'S' depending on the pronunciation. 'Z' is more common. It also doubles letters; look above.**_

_**'F' is **__**always**__**replaced with 'V'; though if followed by a vowel which is the last letter of the word, the vowel is dropped.**_

_**'Sp' and 'St' become 'Shp' and 'Sht', respectively. Words that contain 'sh' become 'sch', including 'shp' and 'sht'.**_

_**'-ing' endings will become '-ink' **__**but only for verbs**__**.**_

**If you would like this chapter without the German accent, feel free to ask me.**

A couple months passed with Erika in her small hospital room, occasionally visited by the Elrics. Today, the Elric brothers had visited again, leaving behind a few books in a language they called Amestrian. The had promised to teach her the language so she could communicate with other people besides them. But they were acting odd, happy looks of relief on their faces.

It was fall now, the summer long gone, and the sky's puffy clouds had turned a moody gray while wind blew loose red and gold leaves from the branches of trees. The leaves covered the sidewalk in a lovely sheet of colour, though people didn't bother to acknowledge it. Everything was absolutely beautiful outside, and all she wanted to do was hop in a giant pile of leaves and roll around without shame.

The nurses wouldn't allow her to though; every time she had tried, a nurse held her back and babbled something incoherent in 'Amestrian'. What an annoyance.

All she had to look forward to were the visits from the Elric brothers, they were teaching her Amestrian, and the fact that she would be released in a couple days to live with the brothers. She hadn't understood why they kept her for so long, her injuries had already healed. Ed had said it was because of her starvation, she wasn't used to rich foods so she had to gradually get accustomed to them.

On the subject of language, Erika had found Amestrian relatively easy to speak and write. It was similar to German after all, though she still had an accent. She could communicate with the nurses now, along with other patients. One patient in particular she had found very interesting, almost...familiar.

His name was Aaron Keitz. He was a small brunette child with startling light gray eyes, and he was extremely kind and sweet. Aaron had come from the orphanage to be treated for typhus and he was doing wonderfully. But she always felt kind of sad around him, as if she was supposed to do something that wasn't at all nice. It probably had something to do with that golden outline person she had seen... She should ask the brothers about that when she went to live with them.

...

The time passed quickly for the Elrics, and soon it was the time to take Erika to live with them. Al drove the car to get her while Ed was at work. She seemed strangely happy, running to the car from the hospital and jumping straight into a seat, smiling all the way.

"Mister Al, zank you and Mister Ed vor takink me in."

"Oh, you don't have to thank me! We would have done that for anyone!" Well, Al would've anyways.

"Oh. Also, vere is zis apartment?"

"Just south of the hospital, we'll be there in no time."

"Zank you."

The rest of the way there they remained silent. Although Al did attempt to make conversation, Erika just stared out the window. That was kind of rude.

Eventually they got to the apartment, a five room flat, and Erika took in the surroundings.

Al smiled, "It's kind of big for an apartment, isn't it. But I know you're used to living in larger surroundings, so I hope it isn't too small."

Erika waved her hands back and forth, "Er, um zis isn't too small. Don't vorry about it."

Al smiled again then turned to go down a hall, which had two rooms on either side of it. He motioned for her to follow him down the hall.

He pointed into one room, "This is our living room and study," he pointed again to another room, "and this is our kitchen."

Walking into the small living room with papers scattered all over a desk in a corner, he pointed to another door to the left.

"Down there is your bedroom, furthest one on the right."

"Ok." She skipped off through the door... and tripped over her unsteady ankles, landing with a resounding crash upon the floor.

"Are you alright!?"

"Yes, yes, I'll be vin. Do not vorry about it, I schouldn't have tried zat anyvays. Sings like zat I vas

never much good at anyvays." She rubbed her back and got to her feet.

"You mean skipping?"

"And runnink, and jumpink. Somesing vas alvays wrong vith my feet zat vay. It vas a vonder I didn't trip at zee hospital."

"Oh."

"By zee vay, vere is Mister Ed?"

"At work." Comprehension dawned in Erika's eyes.

"But Mister Al, shouldn't you be at vork too? Aren't you a doctor?" Al laughed.

"It's just a title, I studied as a doctor back in Germany. I received the title when I finished schooling."

Erika nodded in understanding, then turned to go back through the door to see her room. She padded along the tiny hallway and turned to go into the room on the furthest right. The handle was turned slowly, and the door opened with a loud creak. The room was light and airy with white walls and a tiny, light-coloured bed. An oak dresser was shoved at the wall at the end of the bed, but it contained no clothes (she would have to buy some later). Erika flopped onto the bed.

Mister Al and Mister Ed were nice for letting her stay here, otherwise she would have nowhere to go. Mister Al was really nice and showed it while Mister Ed...Not so much, but he was still kind. She supposed the two brothers were geniuses of some kind, after all, those notes in the study/living room looked pretty complicated. Rolling over onto her side she noticed a slight pain in her hand. when she looked at it, a cut adorned the side of her hand. Had that been there before? Shrugging it off, she snuggled under the thick covers and fell asleep.

**In response to Dreamer372: I like the bits of friendship in here too! Thanks for reviewing!**

**In response to Ed's Curious kitten (1) & (2): (1)It did? Cool! Thanks for reviewing! (2) Thanks!**

**In response to Ann Falconer: Thank you! Updates are every second Sunday. I would be quicker but some stuff gets in the way. Sorry!**

**In response to Guest: You're welcome Anonymous!**

**In response to SMILEY FACE: Thanks, Cenz are Amestrian currency.**

**In response to Guest: I will Anon, here's your update!**

**I'm not going to even bother putting the times for this chapter. It was too stretched out between two days. So yeah, this was a filler chapter, but don't worry, the main story arc will begin around chapter five. Also, I'm kinda worried about how I'm gonna get Erika to remember the whole 'Truth' and 'God' conversation. Any Ideas?**

**Thank you to all who reviewed, followed and favourite. It really means a lot. Next update should be the next Sunday after two weeks, just like today's update. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Remember

**Well, here's the next chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Also, remember that 'Amelia' I mentioned in chapter two? Well she appears in this chapter.**

**Beta: I am the HERO AMERICA**

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is property of Hiromu Arakawa, and it will **_**never ever **_**belong to me.**

_**Italics: German**_

**Normal: Amestrian**

**Bold / Italic: **_**German thoughts or flashback**_

**Bold / Normal: Amestrian thoughts or flashback**

_**A Guide to the German accent:**_

_**'W' and 'Wh' become 'V', only when heard. If a word has two letters, or will becomes a word with two letters, the 'V' is doubled.**_

_**'Th' will be either a 'Z' or 'S' depending on the pronunciation. 'Z' is more common. It also doubles letters; look above.**_

_**'F' is **__**always**__**replaced with 'V'; though if followed by a vowel which is the last letter of the word, the vowel is dropped.**_

_**'Sp' and 'St' become 'Shp' and 'Sht', respectively. Words that contain 'sh' become 'sch', including 'shp' and 'sht'.**_

_**'-ing' endings will become '-ink' **__**but only for verbs**__**.**_

**If you would like this chapter without the German accent, feel free to ask me.**

_...Memory Remembering Dream Sequence..._

_Amelia was beautiful, that, she was sure of. With eyes like a fading summer sky and silky blonde hair, she was the kind boys would just come up to and ask out on dates._

_And Erika was undeniably jealous of that._

_She, with her long mess of curly copper hair and stormy blue-gray eyes, could never compete with her. It seemed as though Amelia was perfect in everything: Art, school, poise, manners, and beauty. **Especially** __beauty. Everything about her seemed perfect, in fact, she seemed to emit an aura of perfection that dazzled everything and everyone she came into contact with. It was like she was one of those perfect characters that showed up in terrible __writing._

_So it was funny how the girl who was jealous became friends with the girl she was jealous of._

_Erika had approached her one day in the seventh grade school yard and confronted her (something that was admittedly stupid on her part, though it was a case of luck as well) and discovered that she was not at all what she had expected her to be. She was kind, and funny; not snobby at all. And the two struck up a friendship, doing everything together, like the stereotypical twins would._

_But Amelia had an illness that was slowly killing her day by day, something that Erika feared worse than the Nazi's taking her away to a concentration camp (this was an irrational fear though, considering Amelia had a pure 'Aryan' bloodline). But it was inevitable, there was no cure for the illness; so Erika tried to make the best of the time she had left. _

_Until she was taken away to a ghetto that was. _

_The scene Played out in front of her, people solemnly clutching bags and purses and being dragged away if they refused to go. And as Erika stepped into the back of that wagon, she gave a last look and caught the eyes of a sickly pale, blue eyed blonde. But the scene was different from how she remembered it, instead of Amelia just gazing at her through the window, she said words Erika could somehow hear through all the hustle and bustle. With an uncharacteristically cruel smile on her face all the while._

_'Have you forgotten already? Well then, I'm going to tell you again. Finish off Aaron Keitz, do you really want the same thing to happen in this world?' _

_..End Memory Remembering Dream Sequence..._

Erika woke up with a start: Her clothes, hair, skin drenched with sweat and the cut on her finger still there. The words of the dream curled around her mind in whispers, like smoke or steam.

_'Finish off Aaron Keitz, do you really want the same thing to happen in this world?'_

She remembered it all now. It was as if the actual conversation with that 'Truth' guy now had the audio put to it. He was telling her to kill someone, Aaron Keitz. But that really couldn't have really happened, she must be going insane! Yes, that was it. Something that ridiculous could never have been true, she had probably been hallucinating.

But it did seem so real and vivid, the place with the golden figure, could it really be fake either?

"Erika!" A shout came from down the hall, Alphonse had called her.

"I'm comink." she shouted back, and Erika climbed out from under the covers, shoved her sweaty hair out of her face and proceeded down the hall.

...

Ed had had been asking Erika more questions about things she remembered ever since he had gotten home from work, and the answers she had were intriguing. Ed had only asked her questions pertaining to the Gate and what she saw there, she hadn't even trembled. Erika said that 'Truth' had told her to 'finish off' some guy, Aaron Keitz she had said. It had scared him, it truly had, how this 'Truth' had entrusted her with the job of killing someone. She was fragile emotionally, so how could she even handle something as terrible as taking another's life?

He had one more question to ask her, just one more.

"Did you see anything that...Particularly _stood out _to you when you saw the stream of images this guy showed you?"

"Vell, yes. Zis one man vith Blonde hair and blue eyes..."

"Hn, well thanks Erika."

"Vor vat?"

"Answering the questions. Obviously, they were a great help to figure out just what the hell we're in for when we help you." Erika stiffened noticeably at the use of a swear.

"Excuse me, but er..." Erika raised her eyebrows and frowned at him, "Could you not use such slurs in front of me? It makes me uncomfortable." Ed scowled at her, it seemed as though she was ordering him to do something. She acted as if _she _was in charge of _him_.

"Sure." she nodded and he left the room, his golden braid flying out behind him.

...

Dinner was a quiet affair, and Erika just headed to her room afterwards without a goodnight (seriously, was she normally rude or..?). Soon, loud snores emanated from down the hall, disturbing the two boys working in the study. Ed covered his ears in an attempt to block out the sound, his face twisted in a manner of annoyance.

"She sure is loud..." Al looked to Ed as he spoke smiling at his brother's silly expression. Ed slumped down into his chair, emitting a rather loud creak. He closed his eyes.

"If this is how it's always going to be, I swear I'll go sleep outside." Ed groaned. Al giggled at this silly notion, continuing to help work on the notes for some sort of alchemy circle that Mustang wanted done tomorrow.

"No, seriously! She's worse than your old girlfriend! Y'know, the girl with the red hair."

"Anika? No, way. You're exaggerating Brother!" Ed opened one glistening eye.

"Her snoring couldn't be heard from all the way across the hall, and through two rooms." Al slumped his head in his hands.

"Well, maybe you've got a point..."

They lapsed into silence once more, the only sounds heard were of: Snoring, paper rustling, and the writing on sheets of paper. And the snoring continued to be louder.

...

**I have no excuse for how late this is... I hope you reviewers can forgive this author for how long this chapter took. On to business. **

**Virtual cookies to all who reviewed! Here's the responses!**

**In response to Ann Falconer: Thanks! The main story arc should start around chapter 5 or 6, so not too much longer to wait!**

**In response to** **Dreamer372: Yes, ignore the Ominous feeling. It's not foreshadowing! -shifty eyes-**

**In response to** **Ed. Curious. Kitten: Thank you! -Sprinkles you with cookies- Reviewer request is acknowledged!**

**In response to SMILEY FACE: Thank you again for reviewing! Sorry for the late update.**

**In response to** **Guest: Thank you so much! Though I have created Sues before, I'm being extra careful with this OC to not turn her into a Mary-sue. Also, this isn't OC x Canon, as I prefer the Canon pairings (EdxWinry, RoyxRiza). If I did make this into OCxCanon, it would turn out absolutely horrendous, Sues and bad writing abound. Anyways, thanks for the review! It was nice to get a longer review this time.**

**Thanks again to I am the HERO AMERICA for betaing. **

**See you in the next chapter! **


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